


Breaking News

by lara_s



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 06:22:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lara_s/pseuds/lara_s
Summary: The Colonials land on modern day Earth, their arrival kept secret.  A generation later, a reporter discovers far more than he bargained for when he manages to track down a mysterious woman who seems to be at the center of a government coverup of epic proportions.A rather fluffy Laura/Bill story.





	Breaking News

Miles past the nearest town, deep in the forest and far off the beaten path, the simple log cabin was well secluded and had not been easy to find. The young man pulling his Jeep into the makeshift clearing in front of the small house was practically squirming with giddy elation. He felt as if he’d been waiting his entire life for this very moment.

In reality it had only been six months. Half a year since he’d first stumbled across what he was certain was going to be the story of a lifetime. 

At first he’d thought it a joke or the result of an overactive imagination making things up that weren’t really there. Extraterrestrials among us was more the kind of sensationalist journalism put out by his old college buddy Joe over at the Enquirer after all. Impossible. And yet, the more he unraveled, the more he was hard pressed to ignore all the signs pointing to exactly that.

Multiple accounts of top secret closed door meetings involving all of the high level heads of state across the globe. The unmistakable lingering trace evidence of what appeared to be the mass relocation of an astonishing large group of people. The sudden inexplicable increase of funding for NASA... 

It was all well buried but blindingly obvious if you knew where to look. Something big, something very carefully concealed from the general public, had gone down some thirty odd years ago. And he was finally about to get some answers as to what. The trail he’d been following like a bloodhound had led him here, to this remote property out in the middle of nowhere owned by one Laura Roslin-Adama.

If that was even her real name. 

_Retired schoolteacher from Ohio, my ass._

The false identity was a good one but he wasn’t an investigative reporter for nothing. With some digging, it eventually became clear ‘Laura’ simply hadn’t existed before all this strange government activity had gone down. 

_Who are you really and what happened all those years ago? See something you weren’t supposed to see and been on the run ever since? Or were you set up out here, paid off to keep your mouth shut?_

He was about to find out. 

With a sharp knock he rapped on the solid frame of the front door. 

“Come in,” came the slightly muffled response from inside. “It’s unlocked.”

He stepped in to a cozy interior. Homey. Tasteful decor adorned the walls. A well worn comfortable looking brown leather sofa with a throw pillow and wrap took up most of the living room. Piles of books were neatly stacked on virtually every available surface. There was even an intricate model ship in a display case in the corner. 

He didn’t see her right away, the solitary figure standing on the opposite side of the room. She had her back to the door, staring out a wide glass window through which a crystal clear lake was visible in the distance. 

“I’ve been expecting you.” The low feminine voice was cool. Mocking even. She didn't bother to turn around as she spoke. “You think you’ve come here to expose me? Force me to give up all my secrets?” She laughed harshly and it wasn't a pleasant sound. “Be careful what you wish for. Trust me when I say I have secrets you don’t want to know anything about. The things I've seen... The orders I’ve given, the choices I've made... Much of it would make your blood run cold and haunt you forever.”

For the first time since heading down this path he felt fear trickle down his spine. Considered that perhaps in his haste coming to this place alone might not have been the brightest idea. 

“I don't… It's just…”. He stumbled over the words, stuttering, suddenly a child standing before an authority figure about to get into trouble before finally managing to collect himself. “I believe you have information the public has a right to know about,” he finished rather lamely. 

To his surprise she made a small hum of acknowledgement and chuckled slightly. “Oh, the press. Always the same. But this _is_ what I was counting on after all. It just so happens I agree with you. I’m not getting any younger and it’s time to share the story before it’s lost forever. If I’d wanted to remain hidden, after all, you wouldn’t be here. Who do you think arranged for those memos to fall into your hands anyway?” 

Before he could register the shock that he had been played so fully, that he had in fact been summoned rather than the other way around, she turned from the window and faced him. Calculating intelligent grey green eyes pierced him with a searching look. 

His first thought was she must once have been very beautiful, this woman. Still was, truth be told. Although she had to be over eighty, she was tall, shoulders and posture un-stooped with age. Long hair so grey it was almost pure white fell in perfect waves down her back. There was a natural grace and elegance about her. Along with an aura of unmistakable power and authority that radiated from her very being.

For the briefest of moments as she stared at him he saw the weight of the world behind those steely flashing eyes. Saw unbridled determination mixed with soul crushing pain and sorrow. And yet, from the soft laugh lines that marked her otherwise impassive face, whatever burdens this obviously formidable women carried, he couldn't help but think they had been softened by knowing a measure of peace as well.

“Have a seat,” she said, not unkindly, motioning towards a chair in the living room and he couldn't help but do as told. Laura, for this must be Laura, settled across from him on the couch, kicking off her shoes and tucking her legs up underneath her in an endearing and rather girlish manner. 

She smiled. It seemed genuine and he felt a little more at ease, wary but fast falling under her spell. His excitement started to grow again, realizing he was about to get exactly what he’d come here for. She was going to talk. 

“So,” he said, getting straight to the point, “what is this all about then? Don’t tell me we really did make contact with little green men from Mars or something?”

He snickered a little at his flippant remark. He’d thought about this a lot, imagined all kinds of scenarios. The real story, he figured, probably involved something along the lines of an ill fated attempt to send colonists out into space. Such a thing would explain the oblique mentions of space travel, futuristic technology and references to a displaced people. If such a thing was actually true, he could almost understand why it had been kept under wraps.

Later, after the fact, after he had learned the truth, he would marvel at how he’d never truly allowed for the possibility. It had all been right there in front of him. And surely, some part of him had known deep down. But right then, in the moment, he was completely floored by Laura’s deadpan “no, not Mars. We came from a bit farther than that.”

_Not Mars but somewhere else being the obvious implication. And did she just say ‘we’??_

“Holy shit,” he gasped. “You… you’re an alien?”

The queen like woman sitting calmly across from him glared over the rim of her glasses as if he were an errant pupil who had spoken out of turn and took a sip of her tea. 

“I am perfectly human, but not from here, no. I was born on a planet called Caprica, one of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Caprica City where I lived most of my life was a beautiful thriving metropolis not unlike any major city center you’d find here on Earth. It’s fascinating the many similarities between our divergent civilizations, but I digress… It all seems so long ago. Another lifetime. Back then, I was the quintessential high powered independent career woman, if you will. It wasn't exactly how I anticipated things turning out. Growing up, I always thought I'd teach. Marry a nice neighborhood boy, have a few kids of my own. A simple unremarkable life. The Gods had different plans. I ended up in politics.” Her previously wistful voice took on a hard edge once more. “Then, on the same day I found out I was dying, the worlds ended. Literally. Imagine ninety percent of your planet’s population wiped out in an instant.” 

Her subsequent account of a nuclear holocaust and its immediate aftermath had him gripping the edge of his seat in horror. 

“I may have only been the Secretary of Education, but I was the most senior person from the government left alive. All of a sudden, I found myself in charge of and responsible for the souls of forty thousand people in the midst of a crisis of epic proportions. And so began a four year trek through space in search of a new home.”

She stopped. “But before I go on, tell me about yourself.” 

He was thrown off by the sudden change of topic. 

“What? Why?”

“Indulge me. You didn't think you'd be the only one asking questions here did you?”

He shrugged. She probably already knew a good deal about him anyway seeing as she’d orchestrated bringing him here in the first place. He couldn’t imagine this woman didn’t do her homework. 

“Not all that much to tell, really. Grew up in San Diego, raised by a single dad...” 

He talked for a little while, telling her about his childhood, his work, trailing off only once he realized she was softly crying. 

“No, no, I’m fine,” she said, noticing his concern. “I’ve gotten rather sentimental in my old age, could finally afford to be. And well, you can’t possibly grasp how very much it means to me to hear that you and Lieutenant Hotdog have been happy. Makes it all worth it. Gods how I wanted to keep track of every last one of you.”

_Hotdog. Only his father's small group of old Air Force buddies called him that. How could she know?_

“Yes, I knew your parents,” she confirmed. “Not well, I’m afraid, but I was acquainted with them both. I was at your mother’s service actually. It was beautiful. They were good people. We never would have made it to Earth if it weren't for the many brave men and women like them. Nor is this the first time you and I have met. You don't remember me, do you Nicky Costanza?”

But suddenly, inexplicably, he did. 

_Loud noises. The ominous clank of metal. Screaming. A persistent chill in the air. This same voice whispering soothing sounds. A lullaby he didn't recognize but which sounded familiar nonetheless. Small fists grabbing onto long red hair._

She saw the dawning recognition in his eyes. 

“You stayed with me frequently as an infant, Nicky. Watching the children was one of the more pleasant aspects of time spent on that frakking hell hole of a pit stop on our way.”

And with that, a lot of small things about his life that he’d never really questioned suddenly made a whole lot more sense. The lack of details about his extended family and their origins. _They’re all dead, Nicky, that’s all you need to know. It’s just us._ How Dad had always been so strangely ignorant about certain things. _Dude, your father has no clue how to help us with this history assignment._ The nightmares and the way Dad seemingly disappeared into himself at times, evidently PTSD on a far grander scale than Nicholas ever could have thought possible. The odd conversations and words overheard here and there over the years. 

Laura’s hand on his shoulder broke through his epiphany. 

“I’m sure this all comes as quite the shock. Call him once we’re through, you’ll have a lot to discuss I’m sure. I’ll leave it up to Hotdog and the others to tell you much of the day to day details of our journey. Suffice to say, we found Earth and our long lost cousins. I was on death’s door by that point, dying once more of the cancer in my breast that had come back with a vengeance. Cottle gave me a stimulant. It dulled the pain and cleared my head enough to make me functional of a sort for a limited time. I wasn’t exactly at my best, far from it, but it served its purpose well enough. There was never any question, at least not to me, that I was going to see things through to the very end.” 

Laura giggled. “I can only imagine what was going through their heads. A bunch of stuffed suits and military types, all absolutely terrified, not that they’d admit as much, about to make first contact with beings from outer space. No one was expecting the leader of the aliens to be a frail middle aged seemingly human woman who could barely manage to stand up straight on her own. You should have seen the look on their faces when Bill helped me out of that raptor. And when he introduced me as President Laura Roslin… He was so proud. So full of love. I could have died content that day. I almost did. Little did I know, while I was negotiating a place for our people, Jack was doing some negotiating of his own. As soon as the preliminaries were ironed out and agreed upon, I was whisked off to a hospital and pulled from the brink of certain death for a second time. I was pretty out of it for a while there. By the time I was coherent and with the living again it had been done, the fleet settled across the globe. On Earth.”

She smiled brilliantly at the memory.

“As soon as I was released, Bill took me to the most amazing place. The penthouse suite at a five star hotel in the tropics. All the amenities one could possibly want. Sunshine. A real bed. Fresh food. Shopping. I was like a little girl in a candy store. But the best part, the absolute best part, was Bill and I with no responsibilities. We were done. So done. The both of us. President Roslin died on Earth, the prophecy got that much right, but Laura, Laura finally got to live again. We thought about traveling, exploring this new planet, but honestly, after everything we’d been through, we just wanted to settle down somewhere quiet. Make a home for ourselves at long last. And so we did.

Bill was my heart, my dearest love. The other half of my soul, truly. I never thought I could feel that way about anyone but facing the end of the world and one’s eminent death has a way of changing your perspective I suppose. He passed on last winter. My Bill always said he couldn’t live without me. He could have, of course, but I’m glad he didn’t have to. We got our cabin and almost thirty years together. A dream neither one of us dared to think was even possible, every day a precious gift from the Gods. I couldn’t have asked for more.” 

Laura stood. 

“I find I am tired now and need to rest. Go. Talk to your father. Seek out the others. Collect and preserve our history so it is not forgotten. In the memory of those who died and because there will come a time when the people of Earth are ready to hear our story. This is what I would task you with doing.”

He couldn’t say no.

He called his father the minute he got out of the mountains and his phone showed a couple bars of service. Dad had, amusingly, nearly busted a gut at first but once over the initial surprise, filled in much of what the President had not delved into. 

_Laura Roslin? You’ve got to be kidding me. She’s still around? I flew her raptor sometimes... Hell of a woman, that’s for sure. Last I heard, she beat cancer a second time then ran off to play house with the Admiral. Starbuck visited them here and there, I think, but for the most part they disappeared entirely. Can’t really say I blame them. If ever two people deserved a moment of peace it was them. I’m glad they found it._

He went back a few days later, full of even more questions for the illusive woman who’d saved a civilization. Laura Roslin wasn't there. A paunchy man in his fifties stood in the living room instead. 

“Nicky Costanza. She said you'd show up.” He was holding a picture frame and angled it so Nicholas could see as well. It was a formal portrait of a vaguely irritated stern looking man in an unfamiliar military uniform standing stiffy at attention beside a younger and equally perturbed appearing Laura Roslin. 

The older man in the photo had to be Laura’s Bill. And by the family resemblance, the man standing there showing it to Nicholas, the Admiral’s son. 

“This is from the day they met. The decommissioning ceremony. They got a kick out of keeping it around. Showed how far they’d come, I guess. Gods. If you had told me back then what was going to happen, how things would unfold, I think I would have been more likely to believe the Cylons were about to attack than that these two would, well, come to care for each other the way they did.”

“Is she here?” Nicky asked. “I’d hoped to speak with her again.” 

Lee shook his head sadly. “No. She left some journals to give you, I’ll get them in a moment, but Laura and my father are together once more on the Shore. I was with her when she left. She didn't die alone.”


End file.
